Your Face Squared: Community Self-Portrait Project

November 17, 2012 - January 27, 2013

This exhibition of self portraits is created entirely by the public for the public. We invited everyone to submit a portrait created in any medium, including writing.

The criteria:

the art must be original and anonymous

the art must be 6 inches by 6 inches in size and no thicker than 3 inches

the art cannot be toxic or harmful

each piece must be accompanied by a signed consent/waiver form.

The idea for this community-based exhibition at the Bruce Museum came from a project spearheaded by the Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada, as a way of experimenting with visitor engagement.

We are delighted that more than 650 submissions came in to the Bruce Museum show.

The portraits in Your Face Squared: Community Self-Portrait Project include many created with traditional media such as drawing, painting, and photography, but there are also clever collages incorporating everything from jewelry to sunglasses, and three-dimensional works in clay, beads, and cardboard. There are submissions by families with three generations represented, entire art classes from regional schools, and groups of friends who gathered together to create their squared portraits.

Visitors who did not submit a self-portrait before the deadline still have the opportunity to add to the exhibition. A section within the show invites visitors to be inspired to create a 6x6-inch self-portrait on site. These portraits will be added to the show.

The Bruce Museum is delighted to share this creative outpouring from the community and share the variety and complexity with which we view ourselves.